August 29, 2011 The Washtenaw Voice

As we welcome Dr. Rose

Bellanca to Washtenaw Com-
munity College as its new
president, were all wonder-
ing what to expect. And thats
a good thing.
Its far too early to have any
realistic expectations. Presi-
dent Bellanca has only been
on campus for three weeks,
and she has barely had time to
meet her administrators.
Naturally, there have been
serious questions about Bel-
lancas administrative abili-
ties and the management
style she will bring to the col-
lege as there would be with
any newly named candidate.
Curiously ahead of such a
momentous decision, WCCs
trustees were so impressed
with Bellanca during the in-
terview process that they
decided a formal site visit to
explore her background at a
previous employer was not
necessary.
Most self-respecting
newspapers are wary of taking
things like this for granted, so
as journalists are trained to
do, we traveled to the campus
of St. Clair County Commu-
nity College, where Bellanca
spent six years as president,
to ask those questions and
elicit some responses for our-
selves.
And we got an earful, hear-
ing both compliments and
complaints about her tenure
at SC4. While our trip may
have resulted in more nega-
tive responses than positive,
we know the person at the
top of any business public
or private is a lightning rod
for many with various axes
to grind. We also know there
are three sides to every story.
Yours, theirs and the truth.
When The Voice conducted
its rst face-to-face interview
with Bellanca last Wednesday,
she did not shy away from the
questions about her tenure at
SC4. Instead, she answered
them head on.
It wasnt easy, she ac-
knowledged. It was a very
challenging time there.
The college trustees obvi-
ously knew of those challeng-
es she faced, how she handled
them and the very public way
it played out. And while we
wonder about the boards de-
cision to give Bellanca a three-
year contract without even an
informal site visit, it would
be nave of us to even suggest
trustees made a hasty or ill-
informed decision.
And thats why we, as a
school, must look at the new
president and sincerely be-
lieve that only great things lie
ahead for our college. Washt-
enaws trustees have done
a phenomenal job of build-
ing a world-class community
college, and they probably
deserve more credit for that
than this community has giv-
en them over the years.
Their record suggests that
they got this hire right, and
that whatever perceived prob-
lems in Bellancas past will
stay in the past. And because
of their record, there is every
reason to believe that Dr. Rose
Bellanca will continue the
brilliant leadership that has
made this college the kind of
institution that brought us all
here in the rst place.
In the Fall semes-
ter, especially for
new students, she
should introduce
herself and get
involved. AALIA QURESHI, 19,
Ypsilanti, Education
I hope that teach-
ers continue to
get their salaries
and maybe even
get raises. Also,
she should continue to make
things as easy as possible for
students. INGRID ABRON, 49,
Ypsilanti, Occupational Studies
College transfers
are difcult. She
should make
the counselors
more equipped.
COREY BARDEN, 24, Canton,
Architecture
I hope that she
will expand on
food choices that
are available for
students. The
food here is expensive.
KOURTNEE SWAFFORD, 18,
Ypsilanti, Human Resources
She should do a
better job than
previous presi-
dents, and ex-
pand the college
and offer more programs. Also,
she should offer more online
courses. EVAN GRAYSON, 22,
Ypsilanti, Pharmacy
The president
should approve
the Blackboard
application for
our school.
JASMIN THOMAS, 17, Ypsi-
lanti, Graphic Design
There should
be more space
for students in
the technol-
ogy programs
to work and get things done.
I also want to know what her
perspective is on the video
production program. HAFSAH
MIJINYAWA, 22, Ann Arbor,
Graphic Design
With this
economy, tuition
and food prices
should stay down.
More healthy op-
tions should be offered around
school and a different ATM
should be put on campus. TY
VELEZ, 36, Ypsilanti, Business
Voices A4
After losing
my job of 18
years as a blue-
collar work-
er when the Ann Arbor
News shut down in July
2009, I spent some time on
Michigans unemployment
roster.
Fortunately, I enrolled at
Washtenaw Community Col-
lege as a full-time journalism
student, which changed my
life.
Michigans job market
hasnt shown much hope
for me. I found part-time
work, including a job with
The Voice. But thanks to
WCCs Student Activities De-
partment, I recently had an
opportunity of a lifetime.
When a talent company
located in Southeld put out a
last-minute call this summer
for WCC students in need of
work, I got a temporary job as
an extra on the set of a movie
named AWOL.
The movies plot takes
place during the Vietnam War
and revolves around Ann Ar-
bor during its anti-war pro-
tests in 1969.
I took part in some of
the riot scenes lmed in
downtown Ypsilanti. They
shot scenes in Ann Arbor, but
for three nights the movie
company made two blocks
in Ypsilanti look like Ann
Arbor.
I spent one 12-hour shift in
a crowd of hippies yelling Go
Home Pigs! and throwing
fake rocks and bricks at the
movie police when they ar-
rived to break up the protest.
The hair and make-up
crew had me looking like an
authentic 1969 hippie. It was
easy to accomplish; I have
long hair, but wear it in a po-
nytail. I had it untied and
owing out from under a pur-
ple bandana. It scared me to
look in the mirror.
My fellow extras and
set-workers couldnt agree
if I looked more like Grate-
ful Dead founder Jerry Gar-
cia or legendary comic Sam
Kinison. I say Kinison, but
it didnt matter. They paid
me to have fun, and I had
the unique experience of
working on a professional
movie set.
Im thankful for the movie
industrys presence in Michi-
gan and the work, while I
study at WCC and Wayne
State University in hopes of
becoming a world-class jour-
nalist.
Michigans movie industry
faced an uncertain future not
too long ago. Gov. Rick Snyder
once said the vast tax-breaks
given to the movie industry
cost the state more money
than its presence generated.
His original plan involved
eliminating the tax breaks,
which would spell disaster
for Michigans aspiring lm,
drama and communications
students.
Until I had the chance to
appear as a paid extra on the
set of AWOL, Im sorry to
admit, I agreed with Snyders
take on the movie industry.
Thankfully, he scaled back
his plan, and Michigan stu-
dents have some chance of
working locally to hone their
talents close to home. But
more incentives should exist
to keep the industry and the
creative people it needs in
Michigan.
Although out-of-state lm
crews and actors descend on
Michigan to produce movies,
many Michigan residents like
me work as extras and pro-
duction workers on the sets of
movies such as AWOL.
Local businesses such as
catering services, hotels, gas
stations and restaurants also
benet from the industrys
presence. And talent compa-
nies, like the one that called
me, now exist and nd jobs for
local residents to spend pay-
checks in Michigan.
If the government has to
provide tax breaks to lure in
jobs for its people, then so be
it. High corporate taxes mean
no incentive to re-locate and
invest in the community.
Unemployed or underem-
ployed residents remain
subservient and restless
due to insucient govern-
ment handouts. A work-
ing population makes
people self-sucient and
empowers the region.
After witnessing rst-hand
the benets of Michigans new
manufacturing trade, I rec-
ognize its full potential and
respectfully suggest a solu-
tion to the economic crisis
facing Detroit and the entire
state: sell or donate Detroits
abandoned property to the
movie industry to reduce the
administrative burden on the
taxpayer.
Movie companies could
turn the abandoned property
into state-of-the-art income-
producing movie studios.
Detroits architectural diver-
sity has excellent back-lot and
sound stage potential, and the
state could ocially rename
the newly developed area New
Hollywood.
Crime rates in Detroit
should also drop, because the
new job prospects will revital-
ize the surrounding commu-
nities.
It will also keep those long-
haired hippie leftovers from
wandering around Ann Arbor
and Ypsilanti by giving them
movie work in Detroit.
Im on the list.
Lights,Camera (and a perhaps a
solution to Michigans job market)
In Dr. Rose Bellanca,
trustees choose the
future over the past Jeff Pierce
Contributor
Gov. Rick Sny-
der must hate
Hollywood.
After living
in Metro Detroit for 15 years,
Ive come to the conclusion
that Batman may be the only
person who can save Detroit
from its own corruption and
our state from inept leader-
ship.
When it was announced
last year that director Chris-
topher Nolan was interested
in featuring Detroit as the
next Gotham City in his nal
Batman romp, I was over-
joyed. But with major cuts to
Michigans lm-tax incen-
tives, Team Nolan was forced
to choose other cities, and ul-
timately landed in Pittsburgh.
The stupidity surrounding
Snyders job-killing decision
to cut the incentives was un-
fathomable at the time, and I
was even more dumbfounded
after participating as an extra
in the movie this month. Aside
from sheer inconvenience a
drive from Southeast Michi-
gan to Pittsburgh and back is a
good 600 miles I was mostly
disappointed in the fact that
Detroit was absolutely robbed
of this valuable opportunity
to boost its economy.
In order to lm our par-
ticular scene, Nolan needed
to ll a portion of Heinz Stadi-
um home of the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the new home of
the ctional Gotham Rogues
football team with enthusi-
astic sports fans, which came
to about 18,000 people, with
hundreds left over waiting on
standby.
Thats 18,000 locals and
tourists who would have hit
many bars, restaurants and
hotels within our city.
Even Pittsburgh Mayor
Luke Ravenstahl said that
hundreds, if not thousands, of
local jobs would emerge from
this one movie alone, accord-
ing to a local CBS report.
Furthermore, a few of the
Rogues players, paid extras
outside of our own casting
call, were chosen because of
their uncanny resemblance
to Steelers players. Could
you imagine Ndamukong Suh
on screen plowing through
hordes of the opposing Rapid
City Monuments or Hall-of-
Famer Barry Sanders acting
as head coach of the Honolu-
lu-blue version of Detroits bi-
zarro Rogues?
After our scene was com-
pleted, I was more angered
than saddened that Ford Field
and Detroit would never get
the recognition they deserved
even while portraying one
of the most despicable comic-
book cities to ever grace pop
culture.
Snyder may have a general
discontent for Hollywood, but
it may be safe to say that he
hates Gotham even more.
Unlike Detroit and the rest
of this great state, even the
smallest crimes are eventu-
ally foiled by Batman.
Snyders anti-Hollywood budget
creates plenty of jobsin Pittsburgh
Ben Solis
Managing Editor
Each semester
at Washtenaw
starts out the
same. Students arrive to class
and are given a syllabus detail-
ing everything the semester
will go over, and what is ex-
pected of them while in class.
Syllabuses tend to have the
same generic expectations.
Bizarre suggestions such as:
show up to class, do your work,
respect classmates, and no
cheating. There is also, usu-
ally, one other request that is
commonly found on the class
syllabus, no cell phones.
Every semester, I see this
request on the syllabus, and
every semester I see students
ignoring it. Granted, I havent
seen students talking on their
phones in class, but I dont
think thats the reason for the
cell phone ban. Nobody likes
to look bad, and talking dur-
ing class time would make you
look like an ass, cell phone or
not.
The modern cell phone
is a handheld computer that
people love to use for play-
ing games, watching videos,
posting on Facebook, texting
friends and occasionally mak-
ing phone calls. Doing any of
those things during class may
not aect the class as a whole,
but it does aect the student
playing with the phone.
Countless times have I
seen classmates playing with
a cell phone struggle in class
or even worse, fail. Its hard to
solve monstrous equations in
math class when you spent all
week poking people on Face-
book instead of paying atten-
tion.
The smart phone is a won-
derful and amazing device,
but it cant be smart for you. A
smart phone is just a tool, and
if you use one in class, so are
you.
If you dont own a smart
phone, thats great. But if you
do own a smart phone, do
yourself a favor and turn it o
during class. Playing with your
smart phone in high school
might have been okay, but this
is college.
As a student, you paid to be
here. Imagine if we could cal-
culate how much money has
been wasted because students
spent more time texting than
focusing in class.
The cost has to be enor-
mous. There must be an app
for that somewhere.
Smart phones dont help you in classroom
Nathan
Clark
Contributor
EDITOR
Matt Durr
mdurrwcc@gmail.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Ben Solis
bensolis1@gmail.com
PHOTO EDITOR
Jared Angle
jared.angle@gmail.com
DESIGN EDITOR
Josh Chamberlain
josh@vgkids.com
DESIGN EDITOR
Ashley DiGiuseppe
jocelyngotlib@gmail.com
AD MANAGER
Becky Alliston
ealliston@wccnet.edu
WEB EDITOR
Jesse Glacken
jesse@glacken.us
STAFF WRITERS
Jael Gardiner
Anna Fuqua-Smith
Adrian Hedden
Allie Tomason
CONTRIBUTORS
Nathan Clark
Jeff Pierce
Chuck Denton
Andrew Beckford
ADVISER
Keith Gave
kgave@wccnet.edu
4800 E. Huron River Dr.
TI 106
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 677-5125
thewashtenawvoice@gmail.com
Volume 18, Issue 1
The Washtenaw Voice
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thewashtenawvoice.com, nor the quality of any products,
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JARED ANGLE PHOTO EDITOR
EDITORIAL
QUESTION: What are your hopes and
expectations for the new president of WCC,
Dr. Rose Bellanca?
2012 Michigan Community College Press Association Judging Form
PIace of award:Second Place
Category: Humor or Column Writing
HeadIine/titIe of entry: Smart phones don't help you in classroom
Contestant's name: Nathan Clark
CoIIege name: Washtenaw Community College, Division

Judge's comments: Mr. Clark's column was written in the clear, concise voice of a
journalistic writer. There are no wasted words. Each sentence forms a well-written
paragraph; each paragraph supports the underlying theme. His use of modifiers is
particularly notable he chooses them for their minimal and marked impact.
However, were he or his copy editors would have added the first sentence of the
last paragraph to the penultimate paragraph and let the final sentence "There must be
an app for that somewhere, to sit nobly as the final thought of the piece.